Unconventional Ultracycling: Three Wild Rigs from the Desertus Bikus
The Desertus Bikus is an ultradistance race I’ve been more or less involved with over the past few years. The first time I saw everyone on the starting line was actually at the courier company I was working at. From then on, it felt natural to volunteer for the following editions as a last-minute mechanic. Trust me, you wouldn’t believe how many riders needed that “one last little repair” before setting off on a 1,200-kilometer ride across Spain, despite having had months to prepare.
But I don’t blame anyone because, understandably, everyone wants their bike to be absolutely perfect before embarking on this adventure starting in the Basque Country and heading all the way down to Andalusia. The Desertus Bikus might not be the most hardcore ultradistance race out there, but the conditions can be brutal, with wild temperature swings and unpredictable weather.
Riding the race myself has definitely crossed my mind a few times. But honestly, the idea of pushing myself from A to B as fast as possible quickly lost its appeal when I realized I could just wait at one place to witness over a hundred fully loaded bikepacking rigs. A dream scenario for a gear nerd like me, so today, we’re taking a closer look at three unusual setups I spotted at the start of Desertus Bikus 2025.
Paula’s GT Ricochet All Terra
We’re starting off with my favorite kind of setup! Paula is a bike messenger in Bern, Switzerland, and decided to transform her daily rig for the occasion. Everything on this bike screams The Courier Way. It’s a ‘90s vintage 26” GT running 9 gears at the rear, paired with a 1x front chainring. Her messenger bag? Sandwiched between aero clip-on bars and a front rack. And then there’s the glorious saddlebag setup: a dry bag held in place with a cut-up tire. To me, it’s simply perfect! Minimum budget, maximum street cred and creativity. I wish I saw setups like this every day.
Stephane’s MONoPOLE
Part of why I was excited to come this year was because I knew another MONoPOLE would be showing up. A setup built for ultra-distance, and completely different from mine. That’s Stéphane’s bike! After enjoying his first MONoPOLE a little too much, he reached out to see if they’d be interested in working together on a bike built specifically for crossing Spain during the Desertus Bikus. And that’s how he ended up with this bright yellow setup.
Everything here is high-end: carbon wheels, Beast Components scattered throughout, and a Pinion C1.12 gearbox paired with GRX levers thanks to the Hibox Shift Adapter. And even if storage isn’t an issue here, the custom-made bags by Gramm complete the build perfectly.
Being curious, I reached out to Stéphane after the race to hear how the bike performed. His answer? “Other than the obvious: having the aero equivalent of a flying brick, the bike performed flawlessly. Zero issues whatsoever.” And that’s what I like to hear.
Sophie’s Bromton G-Line
Finally, there’s Sophie. I always knew the Brompton G-Line opened the door to some fun weekenders and was generally more capable than a classic Brompton. But bringing a G-Line to a 1,200 km race with over 16,000 meters of elevation gain, including some serious gravel sections, all on Brompton’s 8-speed gear hub? I can only respect that.
The bag setup by cyclite is fully Brompton-friendly, and Sophie later told me that this bike is actually made from two separate Bromptons! One green, and one orange just merged together. No functional reason behind it, just a way to make it a bit more unique. And I love that.
Racing is definitely the main focus, but showing up with a setup like this lets you take it a bit less seriously. Whether you’re on a 20”, a vintage MTB, a cargo bike, a fixed gear, or any other unconventional rig, it often feels more rewarding to take the weird route. And after all… Why should you not?
Maybe a tandem next year?
🎞: Kodak ColorPlus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Basque Country
